Baptist Briefs___New England students sought. Leaders of the Baptist Student Ministry program in New England are seeking information about Texas Baptist students who are enrolling this fall in universities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. BSM leaders not only will make contact with the Baptist students once they are on campus but are available to meet arriving students at airports or train stations. Contact collegiate ministries, Baptist Convention of New England, 5 Oak Avenue, Northborough, Mass. 01532; (508) 393-6013, ext. 233; fax (508) 393-6016.

___World Changers set record. In a year marked by a renewed emphasis on intentional evangelism, 918 professions of faith were recorded during World Changers work projects this summer that involved a record 13,500 participants. It was the tenth year for World Changers, a mission education experience for youth.

___Missionary Allen Barnes dies. Allen Barnes, a Southern Baptist missionary to Southeast Asia, died Aug. 7 of an apparent aortic aneurysm while vacationing with his family in California. Barnes, 65, and his wife, the former Loyce Williams of Greens Gap, N.M., were in their eighth year of service with the International Mission Board.

___African-Americans wanted as missionaries. Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board are making an all-out effort to let African-American Baptists know they are needed and wanted as missionaries. "The Bible doesn't say, 'Go into the world, you white folks,'" said David Cornelius, African-American liaison for the IMB. "The Bible is addressed to all of us who know Christ." African-American Baptists can serve anywhere in the world, he said, disputing stereotypes of sending them only to African nations.

___Conference on mental illness planned. The Wayne Oates Institute, based in Louisville, Ky., will offer a fall on-line conference on "Mental Illness: A Spiritual, Emotional and Physical Perspective." The Internet conference will be conducted Oct. 4-10 at www.oates.org.

___Clarification: Central Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., does not allow speaking or preaching in tongues in its worship services, Pastor Ron Phillips said in response to an article on Baptists and charismatics (July 21). "We do try to stay in biblical order," which differentiates between private and public utterances, Phillips said.